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TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said he “absolutely” would love to attend one of the Garth Brooks concerts next year and would like the country western singer to play in Cork.
Speaking to reporters in New York after he addressed the UN Security Council, the Taoiseach weighed in on the Garth Brooks saga.
Dublin City Council has approved three nights of concerts in Croke Park next September, when it is expected that country singer Garth Brooks is set to perform.
The council confirmed to The Journal that it has granted approval for concerts on 9, 10, and 11 September 2022.
Additionally, it has received an application for two more concerts on 16 and 17 September.
Asked about the previous controversy over Brooks playing five nights in Croke Park, the Taoiseach said “progress has been made over the years, Croke Park has learned a lot from engagement with the residents”.
“I think venues more generally now have far more proactive policies working with local residents to resolve issues,” he said.
“People do need access to concerts, to iconic stars, and that’s something we have always been good at in Ireland,” said the Taoiseach.
When asked if he would like to attend one of the gigs, he said : “I would actually.”
“We could have a few in Cork as well, you know,” said Martin.
“We have had a tough 18 month of this pandemic and isn’t it great now that people are coming back to perform and that we have concerts,” he added.
Back in 2014, during the controversy over the five-night gigs scheduled in Croke Park, which were called off, Martin, who was in Opposition at the time, called for emergency legislation at to be drafted to allow the concerts to proceed.
Speaking in the Dáil at the time, Martin said there was an air of disbelief about what would have been a major economic project in its own right not going ahead.
At the time, he asked the then Taoiseach, Enda Kenny why the government did not intervene to ensure that the concerts go ahead.
TheJournal.ie’s Political Correspondent Christina Finn will be bringing you all the latest updates from Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s visit to New York this week.
Stay up-to-date by following @christinafinn8, @TJ_Politics, @thejournal_ie and TheJournal.ie’s Facebook page.
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A referendum on mass immigration is overdue
@common sense: We already voted on this in the Lisbon Treaty in 2009, note since Brexit UK immigration has soared to unprecedented levels.
@common sense:
We were asked once,indirectly, in 2004, and answered with a resounding no! Not surprisingly the result was immediately swept under the carpet!
@Housing Hunger Games:
You could say the same about the Greens, really, decisively rejected at the last election! So by your logic we can now bin all their ludicrous, pointless and annoying policies,yes? Happy times!
@Housing Hunger Games: I think you will find that the government balance of power is held by the Independent alliance TDs, none of them being noted as rabid open borders like Shari Fein and the rest of the Loony left
@Pat Barry: why has immigration soared to unprecedented levels since Brexit? Who’s pulling the strings in the UK and allowing them in? We’re the British public lied to?
@common sense: Would agree (not that it would pass) but we need to broaden the scope outside of the constitution or we’ll get nothing done, our political class are borderline useless. It would be a great way to seize some power back.
@Housing Hunger Games:
By the skin of his teeth, at the last count,even with a lavish budget to spend and a fawning media hanging on his every word! Most of the independent candidates you’re disparaging ran kitchen-sink campaigns with little to no mainstream media coverage, and what coverage they did get was mostly negative! So well done Wodewic, buala bos!
@common sense: a referendum on the Common Travel Area – so people lije you can be deported.
@Joe Willis: Think they have “taken back control” by stopping unlimited inflows from EU citizens and African refugees and asylum seekers in small boats. The reasons are the same as here – Ukraine, foreign students and labour shortages that had been driving increasing migration to the UK ever since the 1990s, immigrants don’t take jobs from native workers, but they fill vacancies such as in jobs in agriculture, hospitality, cleaning, transport and other services that native workers are not able or willing to do – while the demand for highly skilled workers such as doctors, engineers and scientists has also been increasing.
@Housing Hunger Games: early days yet commie, ukip, afd,etc were all laughed at years ,all leading in the polls in their respective countries now,
@common sense: people only care about immigration when the cost of living is high, economy is bad or standard of living is a squeeze. Maybe immigration and migrants aren’t the problem.
We got it wrong in gay marriage and abortion, we got it so wrong, history will not be kind
@Boody: Nah, we’re grand… none of it effects you at all but you ‘believe’ it’s your (probably god given) right to tell others how to live… History is scathing of those types btw.
@Boody: we got both of those absolutely right, hate monger.
Of course the most decisive referendum ever held.. the 79% who voted in 2004 to limit Irish citizenship to those born here to at least one Irish parent..has been largely ignored and swept under the carpet like it never happened, citizenship is handed out like snuff at a wake! Funny the way that works!
@Jonn: The 2004 wording is as follows:
“Notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution, a person born in the island of Ireland, which includes its islands and seas, who does not have, at the time of the birth of that person, at least one parent who is an Irish citizen or entitled to be an Irish citizen is not entitled to Irish citizenship or nationality, unless provided for by law.”
So, they may not have a constitutional right, but similar rights can be provided by law. Nothing there about limiting citizenship.
@Housing Hunger Games: Where are all the biggest supporters for unlimited mass migration? The few that got in are in the opposition benches under banners like PBP, Solidarity and SocDems/Labour.
FFG are supporters of mass migration too, but not to the same extent as the aforementioned. A well-organised party with wide ranging policies along with a desire to eliminate illegal migration would romp home in an Irish Election. Independent Ireland are the green shoots of such a party. They have 4 TDs, an MEP and 23 local councillors. Not bad for a party that is new.
@Housing Hunger Games: It is illegal to seek asylum using false documentation.
@Jonn: the handiwork of Michael McGowl.
The constitution belongs to the Irish people and not the government. In fact, it guarantees our rights and protects us from government over reach. It is our’s to change or not, and if ever in doubt about what politicians are attempting to do, in changing it, always vote to keep it as it is.
@Brian Keelty:
Now Meehole and Co. are coming for our neutrality, eager to sign us up for a pan-European army! Of course there’s no fear of Meehole or any of his offspring ever being within an ass’s roar of a battlefield, that’ll be a job for the little people! But he’ll cheer them on enthusiastically from a safe distance, rest assured!
@Jonn: Agree your rear end will never be near a battlefield.
@Jonn: Neutrality isn’t mentioned in our Constitution. Only the our armed forces cannot serve abroad with permission from the Oireachtas.
@Jonn: of course he would be hiding in his bunker him and his family while everybody else getting slaughtered most politicians are cowards all talk, but when it comes to the crunch, they go running with their tails in their hands
@Me Me: That, of course, should R
read ‘without permission’!
@Jonn: There should be a European Army to look after European Defence and security, NATO/US interests are not aligned with ours. Ideally NATO would be dissolved and the EU would be free to protect itself without having to fight American wars.
And like most of Europe, Ireland has a volunteer military, nobody being forced to do anything.
But don’t worry, the EU is weak and unable to even agree on a common defence policy let alone form a European army. There’s a slim to zero chance of it happening.
Some people might say that the lack of will to hold this referendum or that referendum, that this article has been written in fact, is an example of the government not wishing to listen to the will of the populace for fear of a different opinion to their own appearing. Very frightening times in which people no longer feel safe or secure in their day to day lives with regard to increasing cost of living, the inability to evolve their lives, incapable of buying a house or having any type of secure roof over their heads, or simply to walk down the street safely without questioning who has a knife, and thinking ‘Is it my turn today to be attacked, am I the disposable one today who will be sent thoughts and prayers, be I dead or barely alive’. These existential and destructive dangers would seem to be the new order and the new norm. In my opinion, and the opinion of many others.
@Keth 417: well said ! We we should be standing over our rights and demanding referendums for various different subjects and topics and ways of life as we are being taken for granted like a bunch of sheep, changes drastically needed in this country for the better and for the future generations of Ireland because the way we’re going now you may forget it they won’t have a hope
@Keth 417: This country is broken, the scenes in Frace over last few days will become a weekly occurrence here soon enough. The amount of single male cultural enrichments we’ve brought in is detrimental to our society, couple that with the huge populations of family’s here, our own kids are outnumbered in every single primary school class, in Dublin at least.
Rerun the Seanad one, The Seanad is seriously undemocratic. Plus I agree with people having a say on mass immigration, a limit needs to be put in place otherwise we will end up like Fiji where Indians outnumber the indigenous people.
when the général De Gaule was defeated on a referendum, he left a few days later. I call that honor. none of that exists here
@Dominic Leleu: anymore I meant
@Dominic Leleu: Mais oui!
@Dominic Leleu: you’d have to go a long way back to find an honorable government .. a long long way back .
The only REFERENDUM that needs to be held is 1 on whether we should allow illegal unvetted migrants into the country
@Brian Molloy: That makes no sense. Illegal immigration is already illegal. It’s in the name.
Not really….a proposed change was asked and the citizens voted on it each time. What’s the problem, unless the answer didn’t suit. Democracy in action. The Irish electorate is a bit more savvy than those in other countries.
@Toca Stories: This opinion piece here, I would suggest, isn’t the result of a referendum, but the lack of government will to hold a referendum.
@Toca Stories: it failed purely on the wording,not the issues being voted on.
I would suggest the nature of a referendum, and the direct cost to a government is the litmus test as to weather a referendum will take place. Divorce and abortion largely leave the mechanics of the situation up to the individual, where as something like immigration specifically involves government responsibility. Next referendum, examine the nature of it.
Give us a referendum for full legalisation of cannabis.Stop treating responsible working adults that like a few smokes at the weekend or an evening in general like children by telling them they are breaking the law for chilling out to watch a movie.The gateway drug lies are laughable.Alcohol is the ultimate gateway drug for harder drugs for most people
@Johnny King: So many things we could fix that our elected leaders will never… Also Cheese now has associations with the same dopamine cause by hard drugs, as I always expected, Cheese its the real gateway.
@Johnny King: cannabis ruins lives
@James MC: Not anywhere near as many as sugar, or salt, or monoxide, bee stings, horses riding accidents…
The referendums are creating to much division. It’s time for a prolonged pause.
@Argus Romsworth: Referendums to prevent future dangerous divisions would make sense. Islamic beliefs are at severe variance with western Constitutions and yet they are coming to live in western countries. Contradictions can exist up to a point but would be better avoided.
@thomas molloy: cant avoid contradiction, it’s a part of everything, the taoists get it.
They simply don’t want to hear your opinion.
Referenda, not referendums. Editor should have caught this.
The reason it failed was, the government realised that the Citizens assembly voted 100% that care was the responsibility of the government, which ment if it went to the people,that’s was very likely to pass, the wording was clear and precise. And agreed with several legal teams. Then the gov changed all that, and the thousands of carers and people with disabilities knew they were being shafted. And voted against it.
Not because of any far right,
But because people who are let down over and over by the state took a stance, and said not in our name.
have your say